Small enrollment colleges and universities are standing at a defining crossroads. For generations, many of these institutions have relied on personal attention, close-knit community, small class size, beloved traditions, and a broad liberal arts mission as their primary points of distinction. It can be argued that these qualities still matter and that they can be deeply valuable. However, in today’s higher education marketplace, they are no longer sufficient by themselves.
The Niche Strategy: Colleges need to build an identity. – Collegiate Consulting
After the SCORE Act stalled in Congress, the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 emerged as a more bipartisan solution. With 14 amendments, this Ted Cruz (R-Tex.)/Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)-sponsored bill still favors the NCAA, but lessens the staunch stance against student-athletes as employees.
One of the promises of the SCORE Act was to provide a “uniform national framework for collegiate athletics” for NIL. With the Protect College Sports Act, student-athletes are not blocked from NIL deals, but have to report income exceeding $600. As this new legislation gains momentum, it is “locked in” for a vote in September. Until then, universities are bound by institutional decree and state laws, especially public colleges.
In the vacuum of federal guidelines, NIL college football agents have begun to flood the market. Also the College Sports Commission’s Department of Investigations issued “warning letters” to athletes who failed to report NIL deals in a timely manner. Until an act has enough votes to pass the floor, student-athletes are beholden to individual state laws and will continue to navigate murky legal waters.
Ever since university sports programs have received institutional resources and support, the myopic view that “athletics take away from academia” has found a home in skeptical minds. However, inarguable data of valuation studies shows the fiscal impact of college sports (aka. the money teams bring back to their schools).
Our comprehensive economic impact and media exposure analysis studies examine revenue sources such as media rights, NCAA and conference distributions, bowl game proceeds, sponsorships, licensing and endowment income. Combined with economic impact metrics, studies also measure economic impacts over several years providing financial effects on the university as a whole, surrounding towns and cities and sometimes entire states.
Measurable impacts not only assist athletic departments in assessing current success, but can also be used in future planning.
As we continue to partner with institutions of varying size and conference competition level, we are excited to explore opportunities for each new and existing clients. Several moving pieces to research give our university partners an expanded perspective for potential excellence.
We thrive on connection with our college athletic community and we seek to champion their notable actions and achievements.
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